The ramblings of a pilgrim through time, space, and life.

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Kerr

One of the fun and frustrating parts of family history is how it keeps changing on you. There are always more records, there is always more documentation on your ancestors. Most of it is mundane and useless, even if it does give you a partial hint on your family. But sometimes you stumble upon a gem. As I did with this newspaper clipping.

I thought I had scoured Ogden’s Standard Examiner pretty thoroughly for familial references. Nevertheless, I was searching for something entirely different and found this article. I don’t know if I missed it before or if search capabilities have improved and caught now what I could not catch 5 or 8 years ago when I went through the Standard Examiner records.

Here is the entire page of the paper.

Page 7A of Ogden, Utah’s Standard Examiner, Sunday 19 April 1950

A couple of thoughts about the entire page.

100 Gladiolus bulbs for $1.69!

I love when they reference someone in the paper they give their home address.

Sears Roebuck & Co. May soon be another thing of the past, despite being an institution of the American way of life for over 150 years.

Mattresses seem to be pretty much the same as they were 67 years ago. Not that I expect lots of change, but other than these new foam mattresses, things appear to be much the same.

Call Sears at 2-5331!

Combination Offer, box springs and mattress only $42.88!

Utah’s Senator, Elbert D. Thomas has a new book out, “One Nation Under God” only $2.75. I don’t think I can see a Senator now out selling a religious principles book.

Washers have changed a great deal since 1950.

Alcoholics Anonymous is still going strong today.

Anyhow, on to the reason why I am writing this post. Mary E Stoker is my Great, Great Grandmother. I have written about her previously. But this little newspaper article tells us some things at least I had never known.

“An open house to honor Mary E. Stoker, old time resident of Weber county, on her 81st birthday anniversary, will bbe held Sunday, Apr 9, at the home of her son, J. E. Donaldson, 120 E street, Salt Lake City. Relatives and friends are invited to attend.

“Mrs. Stoker was born April 7, 1869, in Ogden, a daughter of David D and Gwendolyn Jordan Williams, pioneer converts from Wales. She spent her early childhood in Slaterville and moved to Ogden when she was 15 years old.

“She was married to William Scott Donaldson in Ogden, October 1890. They had six children, William George Donaldson, and John Edmund Donaldson, Salt Lake City; David Delos Donaldson, Ogden; Ellis Donaldson, Pocatello, Idaho; Irvin T. Donaldson, West San Pablo, Calif.; Alvin Donaldson, Green River, Wyo. Mr. Donaldson died Sept. 12, 1913.

“In 1918 she was married to Anthon Edward Peterson in Ogden. Several years after Mr. Peterson’s death she was married to Thomas Stoker of Huntsville. She has six sons, 22 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. She also has three brothers, Hyrum Williams, John H. Williams, and Joseph Williams, Ogden, and one sister, Mrs. Louise Layman, Ogden.

“Mrs. Stoker remembers when there were not over 10 houses east of Washington, when mud was hub deep to wagons in stormy weather. She remembers the first street cars, the first street lights and the first volunteer fire department.

“She went to Salt Lake City with her moth to attend Brigham Young’s funeral. She was personally acquainted with Lorin Farr, first mayor of Ogden, D. H. Peery, Job Pingree, Franklin D. Richards, John Scowcroft, John Guthrie, W. H. Wright, George Kerr, Bernard White, Winslow Farr, Robert McQuarrie, and their families. She knew most of the early settles of Weber county.

“Mrs. Stoker says there has been so much progress since her childhood that she takes great interest in new developments, inventions and methods of doing things. She is so sure that many more wonderful inventions are just a few years away and she wants to live to be at least 100 years old because she enjoys seeing progress.

Much of that seemed standard and information we knew. But she went to Brigham Young’s funeral when she was about 8 years old. Why did her mother take her to the funeral. Brigham did not serve any of his missions in Wales, so I doubt they were converts or knew him while he was a missionary. But Gwenllian had enough regard for him that she traveled to Salt Lake City to say farewell. Enough that she even took her daughter. But that is an interesting side note to Mary.

The other information is more history of Ogden. I am curious how well she knew the people listed in the article and how she knew them. Now about half of the list does not mean anything to me. As a non-Ogdenite, only a few of the names I am familiar. Farr, Peery, and Richards. The rest of these are lost on me and I will have to research their significance to her and the paper for another time.

Just a few more interesting insights into the lady I know as Mary Elizabeth Donaldson.

Here is a much better copy of the photo from the newspaper article. She died 29 March 1951.

Here is a picture of the Plain City, Weber, Utah school student body in 1895. Apparently this was the entire student body and this photo was reproduced in the 15 March 1959 copy of the Ogden Standard-Examiner. I have a couple of relatives in the picture and that is probably why my Grandpa and Grandma Ross pulled it from the paper and have kept it with their possessions. The names all come from that same paper caption although both of the unknown Rogers just have Miss. If anyone knows where to get a clearer scan of the photo, I would appreciate it as this 60 year old paper isn’t the best version. I do not think the school in Plain City had another name besides the Plain City School.

I looked up the information for each individual. I found most of them, except for a couple whose names were just not in Plain City or they must have only been there a short time. Sometimes with those old clippings whoever gave them the names might have put a married last name rather than a maiden. Hopefully someone can correct the rest of the names. The two principals I could not nail down because of the difference in age I could not define and there were so many with the same name within 30 years of the age of most of these students. I put the one I think is most likely but welcome corrections.